Princess Cruises is giving its Royal Class ships a serious upgrade. The line's Sanctuary Collection — a resort-style premium tier that until now existed only on Sun Princess and Star Princess — is being added to Royal Princess, Discovery Princess, Enchanted Princess, Regal Princess and Sky Princess, in the first phase of a multi-year fleet modernisation.

First out of the blocks is Royal Princess, which debuts the experience on a 12-day South Pacific voyage from Sydney departing 4 January 2027. Bookings for its Sanctuary staterooms opened on 23 October 2026, and the ship itself arrives in Sydney next month, making this the easiest way for Australians to sample the new tier close to home.

So what do you actually get? Think of it as a private club bolted onto a big-ship cruise. Sanctuary guests get access to the Sanctuary Club, with its own pool, upgraded loungers, shaded cabanas (those cost extra) and poolside food and drink service. There's a dedicated Sanctuary Restaurant serving menus inspired by each port, and suite guests also get a personal concierge plus a private Suite Lounge.

Every Sanctuary booking bundles in Princess Premier as well — unlimited premium drinks, speciality and casual dining, high-speed Wi-Fi, crew gratuities, room service and OceanNow delivery. In effect, most of the things you'd normally sign up for separately are already covered.

The other four ships go on sale over the following weeks, each launching with a marquee sailing: Regal Princess on 5 November with a transatlantic crossing from Port Everglades departing 17 April 2027; Discovery Princess on 4 December, kicking off with a seven-day Mexico loop from Los Angeles on 24 April 2027; Sky Princess on 10 December, launching with a 14-day Baltic sailing from Southampton on 29 May 2027; and Enchanted Princess on 17 December, starting with a seven-day Mediterranean voyage from Rome's Civitavecchia port on 12 June 2027.

There's a sweetener for early birds too: anyone who booked a Reserve Collection stateroom on Royal Princess before 22 October 2026 gets the full Sanctuary experience at no extra charge (minus the Princess Premier package).

Why it matters: this is essentially Princess answering the growing demand for semi-luxury at mainstream prices. Rather than booking a small luxury ship, you get a private pool deck, a dedicated restaurant and concierge-level service, then step out into big-ship entertainment and itineraries spanning the South Pacific, Baltic, Mexico and the Med. If you like the idea of a quiet retreat but don't want a boutique ship's price tag, the Sanctuary Collection is worth a look — especially on Royal Princess's Sydney-based season.